KY Secretary of State Michael Adams discusses election reform

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - On Friday, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams visited Barren County High School where he presented an award as part of the Secretary of State essay contest.

In the 2020 election, Kentucky was heralded as an example of both political parties coming together to streamline the voting process. 13 News spoke with Secretary Adams about election reform in the commonwealth.

“What we showed is you can have access and security at the same time. And I think what really was the sweet spot for Kentucky last year, why we had a uniquely successful election other states were envious of is that we both enhanced voter access made it easier to go vote, but we also tighten the security,” said Adams.

“We required a photo ID to vote. We’ve cleaned up our voter rolls. We’re now transitioning across the state to universal paper ballots. We’re doing things to make sure the elections are secure. If you don’t, voters will lose confidence in the system and they’ll stop voting. That’s what happened in Georgia. So you got to have a good secure election that’s fair and free. But you also can’t be too stingy about letting people vote,” said Adams.

“You got to make it easy. It’s like any other government service. I’m in the customer service business. There shouldn’t be just one day to go vote. That’s not convenient for working people like my family. It really helps them and other voters to have several, several different days to pick from including a Saturday. That’s a game-changer for working people,” said Adams.

13 News also did an extensive story on voter reform, click here to view the story.

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